Seize the Sparkle

It's the last Fishbowl Friday of February and the prompt for today? SPONGING ...... and before I get into all the goodness that is today's mani, (and trust me, there's lots of goodness going on!) I've got to give credit where credit is due, and there's a lot of that, too! Despite the fact that I posted the prompt yesterday right before I started painting... I actually pulled the prompt earlier in the morning. Rather than do another sponged gradient or something I've already done before, I thought I would tackle a new-to-me manicure called a Seriotype that originated with Joy Serio on Instagram, and then Nichole from Pretty Girl Science blogged about it here . And here . And this one is definitely my fave! And then while shopping yesterday at Target, I saw this print... I already had SinfulColors Sail La Vie on my nails, so I picked colors that would go with that, rather than starting over from scratch. My SPONGING turned into a Seriotype with dabb

February is almost completely down for the count, and I'm ready for Winter to be OVER. How about you?  It's not even that I really care about the snow so much, I mean, I don't like it when plans are all interrupted, especially FUN plans, but big girl panties, right? Mainly, I'm just really over the cold. the wind, and all. of. the. germs. I'm not sure how, but Peanut is attracting germs and getting colds practically every 2 weeks. Everyone at our Doctor's office knows her by name. (and golashes.) While facetiming Mr. Sparkle, I turned around to find Peanut wearing my black strapless bra. Normally she wears it as a necklace, but this time she's got it over her eyes like a bug. Me: That's cute sweetie. Peanut: These my sunglasses. While snuggling the other night... Peanut: (In the sweetest voice imaginable...) You're my best fwiend! Me: (absolutely beaming...) Awww... thank you doodlebug! You're my best friend too!!! Biiiiiiiig Hug

I can't really think of a more appropriate prompt than the one I pulled for this week's Fishbowl Friday manicure. I mean, other than "sick, barking like a seal, and not sleeping..." or perhaps "incredibly freezing cold," considering that I woke up to a temperature of minus one. COOL is about thee most appropriate prompt at the moment... Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 1 Coat Pure Ice Heartbreaker 1 Coat Pure Ice Blue Hue* 1 Coat Pure Ice Heartbreaker 4 Coats Pure Ice Blue Hue* 1 Coat Pure Ice Heartbreaker 1 Coat Pure Ice Busted 1 Coat Pure Ice Blue Hue* 2 Coats Pure Ice Busted 1 Coat Seche Vite When I pulled the prompt yesterday, I knew immediately that I was going to include Blue Hue in my layering. You really can't go wrong using a sheer blue opalescent glitter filled jelly polish for a cool/coled themed manicure. And while I'm thinking of it at the moment... I feel like I might've done this pr

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Pure Ice Flawless* (painted) 1 Coat Pure Ice Poppin' Bottles* 1 Coat Pure Ice Flawless* (sponged) 2 Coats Pure Ice Poppin' Bottles* 1 Coat Seche Vite When I first swatched Flawless while going through the entire New Year New Hue collection, I knew I had to try sponging Flawless onto my nails. Metallic shades like Flawless tend to do something completely different when you sponged them on versus painting. With Flawless, you can actually see the mix of supertine gold and silver particles that pigment this shade. As a result, I think the polish has a little more brightness and depth to it. But why stop there? After sponging on a coat of Flawless, I added more shimmer and glitter with 2 coats of Poppin' Bottles. I really like the contrast of the silver glitter overtop the metallic gold. For me, that added little bit of texture will never get old! Oh, and about that layer of Poppin' Bottles

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats Pure Ice Playful Purple 3 Coats Pure Ice Purple Haze* 1 Coat Seche Vite So far... I'm really loving this particular layering best out of all the New Year New Hue shades I've tried. It's not just because of how gorgeous this purple sparkling mani turned out... have you seen the way Purple Haze sparkles in my photos? I mean, isn't that reason enough to swoon?!? Playful Purple was the ideal way to layer Purple Haze. The two were so well matched, that Purple Haze almost appears to be an opalescent topper in a clear base. Allllllmost. The sheer lavender jelly base makes the pink, blue, and purple flashing tones of the glitter really pop. These two polishes were just made to be worn together! Pure Ice polishes retail exclusively in Walmart stores and on their website for $1.97/bottle. Pure Ice is a salon-inspired long-wear nail formula that's available in over 96 stunning and on-trend

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats Pure Ice Wear Red 2 Coats Pure Ice What's the Splatter* 1 Coat Seche Vite So, last weekend, I finally managed to find a couple of sweaters and pants while out shopping with Sparklegirl and Granny Sparkle... This sweater was my favorite find. Knowing that I would be wearing it as soon as possible after purchasing, I though about how What's the Splatter would go perfectly with it. Black and white sweater, black leggings, black boots, black and white glitter on my nails... I knew I would need a bright color for layering What's the Splatter! Enter Pure Ice Wear Red... Super shiny classic red cream nails topped with black and white glitter were definitely the way to go! I seriously love this combination, and I especially love how my nails not only complimented, but totally completed my outfit. What's the Splatter added just the right amount of edge to my nails. I love the random insta-g

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 4 Coats Pure Ice Dollface* 2 Coats Pure Ice Rosy Glow* 1 Coat Seche Vite When I mentioned in my review of the New Year New Hue collection that these glitter toppers were versatile, I wasn't kidding. Transformative, too. Pure Ice is really good at creating different topcoats that can either subtly or drastically change the look of a mani, depending on what polish you pair it with! When I painted on Dollface, it was clear that my skintone was nawt going to get along with the peachy cream goodness that was going on. So, naturally, I reached for Rosy Glow to pinken up the peach, and add a little sparkle. I loved the way this layering turned out! Pure Ice polishes retail exclusively in Walmart stores and on their website for $1.97/bottle. Pure Ice is a salon-inspired long-wear nail formula that's available in over 96 stunning and on-trend shades. The shade library contains a striking variety of colo

One of the best things about any New Year is switching it up and trying something new! That's exactly what Pure Ice had in mind with their New Year New Hue Collection... left to right: Blue Hue, Dollface, Flawless, Frost Finish, Poppin' Bottles, Purple Haze, Rosy Glow, and What's the Splatter Can we talk about the fact that this collection boasts SIX topcoats, FIVE of which are glitter toppers? That alone made me stop in my tracks when I first read about it online. Glitter toppers are easily my favorite kind of polish, not just because of the sparkle factor, but also because of the transformation value. Glitter toppers give new life to old polish in so, so many different ways! left to right: 1, 2, 3, and 4 coats of Blue Hue Blue Hue is described as a "blue glitter hint." It's a sheer, buildable blue with opalescent glitter that flashes orange, gold, green, blue, and purple. There's a decent amount of glitter sprinkled in Blue Hue. Gr